Kwangtung. Kuang-hsü 50 Cents (3 Mace 6-1/2 Candareens) ND (1889) MS65+ NGC, Kwangtung mint, KM-Y197, L&M-124, Kann-17, WS-0932, Wenchao-553 (rarity 3 stars). With denomination written as 3 MACE AND 6 1/2 CANDAREENS. An extremely rare survivor of this heavily melted early type of which few examples survive in any condition, let alone in this lofty gem grade where it presently exists unchallenged at NGC and with a minuscule 2 pieces ranking half a grade point finer at PCGS--one a MS66 and the other a more commonly preserved "Specimen" SP66. Perfectly accommodating the other pieces in this set presented in this auction both in terms of technical preservation and overall toning palate, the russet elements on the current representative heightened to an even more stunning level and set against a magnificently frosty dragon. Pull-away tone further predominates at the peripheral features on both the obverse and reverse alike, adding a brightly silver finish to surfaces that otherwise clearly show their age in a rich color. No evidence of mottling appears in the inner circle of the reverse, where the fields preserve sleek mint originality. Though ranking a full two grade points lower, we note that we sold an MS63+ example of this same type, endowed with a similar array of tones, for an impressive $72,000 in our December 2018 Hong Kong Auction #3068 (lot 30129). From the Henderson Lincoln Collection

HID09801242017

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